playing catch-up
So um. Apparently I haven't written in three months or something crazy like that. So lots has happened since then. Well, it feels like it. But it's all pretty much me working/stressing out. Oh man.
1) Winter Break
My break was good! Let's see. Went home for Christmas, saw the SR girlies who were home :). Um. Went to the Shrine Christmas Eve to see Junior Chorus/Christy/Linda sing! Ehm. Christmas day was a little eventful, but everything is turning out okay...you can ask if you're curious. Then a few days later, left for China!
That was good times too. Very different. I felt so extremely white it wasn't even funny. Spent like, 4-5 days in Shanghai, did some shopping, did some sightseeing, went to a nearby lake (name? can't remember?), then went to Beijing for 3 days...did the requisite stuff like Forbidden City, Tianamen, the Great Wall...also did more shopping :). Then...came back to Shanghai, chilled for a day, and back to the states! I also got to meet Harry's family...well, I'd already met his brother before, and I'd met his mother briefly. But this was different. Like, in their home! There was a slight language barrier, but we all got used to it I think. Or maybe I'm the only one who was nervous with that at first. But it was fun! And now I've been to Asia! Yay!
2) Classes this Quarter
Oh man. This quarter pretty much blows. I'm taking Beginning Modern Greek II for fun. It's pretty cool. We're actually learning tenses and stuff. Like, subjunctive. Past. Future. Commands will come soon. It's pretty cool. My other classes pretty much suck, and I don't want to take them. But. ME requires it. Sigh.
First there's the advanced fluids class. Aka Compressible Flow and Turbomachinery. The professor seems cool...but the lectures barely cover the pset. And the book is pretty crappily written as well. It'll like, hint at how to do things, or hint that it can be done. And not tell you. I'm like, gee thanks. It also has a big Matlab component, but I'm actually kind of having fun learning Matlab/teaching it to myself. I guess I like that.
And then. And then there's ME203, I think officially it's called Manufacturing Design or something silly. Basically, we design a product. And then we make it. Out of metal and plastic and stuff. And along the way, they teach us the processes on all the machines in the shop by having us make a magnifying glass. Which is currently pissing the hell out of me, because
a) they rush through everything in the lab, and then set you free to do it. And frankly, I'm a book learner. If you show me something that complicated, I'm definitely not going to be able to reproduce it. Thankfully Harry's been really patient and has been helping me out (to make up for E15/ME80 :) )
b) I was working on the ring of the magnifying glass last night (the part that holds the lens), and I messed up. A lot. I had to start it 3 times. So I'm nowhere close to done with that thing. It was so frustrating. I really can't stand things that I don't get, or that I have trouble with. And frankly, a magnifying glass isn't that inspiring. I mean, come on.
So the magnifying glass is due Wednesday. Hopefully, I won't mess up majorly any more and get this done in time. I mean, after I finish the parts, I have to braze (kinda like solder) the ring to the lug that connects it to the handle which I haven't finished. And then I have to sand. And polish. Gah. Oh yeah, and in the meantime I'm supposed to have already started my stuff for the product I'm going to make. Which is another story because I want to make a yarn organizer, pretty much out of a bunch of tubes (it's the attaching that's tricky). But the tubes have to be big to hold a ball of yarn. And nobody wants to make tubes that size cheap/quickly purchaseable. And I'm working with deadlines here. Crap. Originally I wanted a little thing that would also wind up balls of yarn for you. But I don't think I have time to figure out how to place all the electronics for that. Sigh. The problem is, I really don't care about design or manufacturing. Only in the sense that it'll help with research, like, to tell the technician to make me this. But I don't plan on going into the shop and making this crap. But apparently there'll be a lot more of that to get my bachelor's. I mean, great, it's always good to know how they make the stuff. But really. I frankly hate this class. The machines scare me, not going to lie, I'm a shop pansy. The material doesn't interest me. It's cool to say I can do it. But that's about it. Sorry, I'm a bitter, bitter woman right now. I just need to get through this class. At least through the magnifying glass. I'm going in to the shop tonight and Saturday afternoon, and hopefully all of Wednesday to start my project pieces. Sigh. That was a long rant.
Oh yeah, and along with 203 I have to take a drawing class and a writing-in-the-major class. Which is basically how you write a memo. Or a product proposal. Or a resume. Whoop-de-doo.
Actually, I think that's enough for now. I'm going to go catch up on some sleep so I don't pass out in shop tonight. Peace out, y'all
1) Winter Break
My break was good! Let's see. Went home for Christmas, saw the SR girlies who were home :). Um. Went to the Shrine Christmas Eve to see Junior Chorus/Christy/Linda sing! Ehm. Christmas day was a little eventful, but everything is turning out okay...you can ask if you're curious. Then a few days later, left for China!
That was good times too. Very different. I felt so extremely white it wasn't even funny. Spent like, 4-5 days in Shanghai, did some shopping, did some sightseeing, went to a nearby lake (name? can't remember?), then went to Beijing for 3 days...did the requisite stuff like Forbidden City, Tianamen, the Great Wall...also did more shopping :). Then...came back to Shanghai, chilled for a day, and back to the states! I also got to meet Harry's family...well, I'd already met his brother before, and I'd met his mother briefly. But this was different. Like, in their home! There was a slight language barrier, but we all got used to it I think. Or maybe I'm the only one who was nervous with that at first. But it was fun! And now I've been to Asia! Yay!
2) Classes this Quarter
Oh man. This quarter pretty much blows. I'm taking Beginning Modern Greek II for fun. It's pretty cool. We're actually learning tenses and stuff. Like, subjunctive. Past. Future. Commands will come soon. It's pretty cool. My other classes pretty much suck, and I don't want to take them. But. ME requires it. Sigh.
First there's the advanced fluids class. Aka Compressible Flow and Turbomachinery. The professor seems cool...but the lectures barely cover the pset. And the book is pretty crappily written as well. It'll like, hint at how to do things, or hint that it can be done. And not tell you. I'm like, gee thanks. It also has a big Matlab component, but I'm actually kind of having fun learning Matlab/teaching it to myself. I guess I like that.
And then. And then there's ME203, I think officially it's called Manufacturing Design or something silly. Basically, we design a product. And then we make it. Out of metal and plastic and stuff. And along the way, they teach us the processes on all the machines in the shop by having us make a magnifying glass. Which is currently pissing the hell out of me, because
a) they rush through everything in the lab, and then set you free to do it. And frankly, I'm a book learner. If you show me something that complicated, I'm definitely not going to be able to reproduce it. Thankfully Harry's been really patient and has been helping me out (to make up for E15/ME80 :) )
b) I was working on the ring of the magnifying glass last night (the part that holds the lens), and I messed up. A lot. I had to start it 3 times. So I'm nowhere close to done with that thing. It was so frustrating. I really can't stand things that I don't get, or that I have trouble with. And frankly, a magnifying glass isn't that inspiring. I mean, come on.
So the magnifying glass is due Wednesday. Hopefully, I won't mess up majorly any more and get this done in time. I mean, after I finish the parts, I have to braze (kinda like solder) the ring to the lug that connects it to the handle which I haven't finished. And then I have to sand. And polish. Gah. Oh yeah, and in the meantime I'm supposed to have already started my stuff for the product I'm going to make. Which is another story because I want to make a yarn organizer, pretty much out of a bunch of tubes (it's the attaching that's tricky). But the tubes have to be big to hold a ball of yarn. And nobody wants to make tubes that size cheap/quickly purchaseable. And I'm working with deadlines here. Crap. Originally I wanted a little thing that would also wind up balls of yarn for you. But I don't think I have time to figure out how to place all the electronics for that. Sigh. The problem is, I really don't care about design or manufacturing. Only in the sense that it'll help with research, like, to tell the technician to make me this. But I don't plan on going into the shop and making this crap. But apparently there'll be a lot more of that to get my bachelor's. I mean, great, it's always good to know how they make the stuff. But really. I frankly hate this class. The machines scare me, not going to lie, I'm a shop pansy. The material doesn't interest me. It's cool to say I can do it. But that's about it. Sorry, I'm a bitter, bitter woman right now. I just need to get through this class. At least through the magnifying glass. I'm going in to the shop tonight and Saturday afternoon, and hopefully all of Wednesday to start my project pieces. Sigh. That was a long rant.
Oh yeah, and along with 203 I have to take a drawing class and a writing-in-the-major class. Which is basically how you write a memo. Or a product proposal. Or a resume. Whoop-de-doo.
Actually, I think that's enough for now. I'm going to go catch up on some sleep so I don't pass out in shop tonight. Peace out, y'all